Happy Birthday!

My First Birthday Party!

Emily had her very first birthday party this year! She had been asking me all year if it was time for her birthday party yet. Finally the day came. I have to say that musical chairs was the best part of the party. We didn't take out any chairs because we didn't want any tears. Everytime the music stopped, the girls would all run back to their original chair. Hilarious. They loved it!

The long awaited Candyland cake.

... and then she was three

2 weeks old

3 months old

6 months old

1 year old

18 months old

2 years old

3 years old

They grow too fast!

What is wrong with this picture?

"Could you rock the baby to sleep?" (This isn't exactly what I had in mind...)

Little Smiles!

It is a complicated thing to try and catch an infant smiling. That is why he is clear up in the corner and it is only a half smile. I tried my best!

Thanks Grandma! You're the Best!

Well, it has been 3 weeks since my mom left. Somehow we are surviving. (Hanging by a thread really.) We sure appreciate all that she did for us. She ended up staying for 6 weeks because Gavin had some complications at birth that took a little while to resolve. I can tell you that it is not only Emily, Brian, and me that miss her. My laundry and dishes sure miss her too.

Grandma and Gavin in the ICU.

Emily making rolls with Grandma. Such a big helper.

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween we went to a Trunk-or-Treat party. This works out nice for us because we have learned that NONE of our neighbors have candy on Halloween. (Who doesn't buy candy on Halloween?!)

Gavin sat in the back of the car with me while Brian took Emily around to the other trunks. Here is a picture of all of us and Emily's good friend. Brian and I decided to go dressed as ourselves this year. Emily has been waiting months to wear her fairy costume. (I had to make it before I had Gavin or it never would have happened.)Gavin had on an outfit that says, "I Love My Mummy". (Isn't that the truth. If he could be attached to me, he would be.)

What is the Probability?

What is the probability that both of our children would be thumb suckers?

The Baby Brother!

Gavin
8 lbs. 11 oz.

New Baby Syndrome

Emily has been struggling lately with the idea of having a new baby at home. I think that she started realizing what was going to happen when we put up the crib with the BLUE bedding on it. Suddenly her bunk beds weren't good enough anymore, and she wanted to sleep in the crib again. I decided that she might enjoy going to a class that they were having for new big sisters at the hospital.It ended up being a sibling birthday party. The nurse asked if all the big brothers and big sisters would come up and blow out the candles. Emily stood on her chair with her hand waiving in the air and said, "I am going to be a big sister!" She also announced that she is going to have two baby brothers. Haaaaahaaaa! NO!
They had cake and ice cream, watched a video, colored, and learned how to change a diaper on a doll. Emily really enjoyed all of it and hasn't been able to stop telling everyone about it.
After the class, Emily was able to go and see some of the new babies in the nursery. I think that this ended up being her favorite part. She kept asking me which one we were going to take home. Since the class, she has been having an easier time with the idea of a new baby. I guess we will see how it goes!

Jump City

We had the opportunity this week of going to Jump City with the Medical School Auxiliary. (This is the medical student spouse club that I have been involved in). When I asked the other spouses what Jump City was, they all started laughing. I guess I am in no condition to be jumping! :)
As you can tell Emily loved it! She had a lot of friends there to jump around with. After falling on her head and neck several times, Dr. Dad had her performing various medical tests to make sure that her neck and spine were still in line. Silly Daddy!
I also learned what a little daredevil she is. This slide was not a small one!

We are still here!

Yep, we are still here and doing great. Brian has started school again and we are getting closer and closer to having a new member of our family. Grandma will be here in the next couple weeks and we are really getting excited. I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post. I've attempted to do a quick sum up of things that have gone on this summer!

Baby Names

I thought that I would document a funny conversation that Emily had with her grandpa.

Grandpa: What is your baby's name going to be?

Emily: "Baby brother."

Grandpa: What about "Gavin"? (Brian and I really like this name)

Emily: No, not "Gavin".

Grandpa: Well, how about "Dallas". (This just happens to be his name)

Emily: "Dallas?" (pause) Yuck, I don't like "Dallas".



We all got a good laugh. In grandpa's defense, "Dallas" has also been a strong consideration for a name. :)

Georgia Aquarium

We have been wanting to visit the Georgia aquarium for a while now and just never had the chance to do it. We decided to take advantage of Brian's last day off before school started and take a small trip to the aquarium.

Emily still can't stop talking about all of the fish, sharks, and whales that she saw. We went through the aquarium a few times so that she could take it all in. (Don't ask me how I got up from this position.)
She wouldn't touch any of the sting rays, shrimp, or starfish; however, I got her to touch a sea anemone because I told her that it was a flower. (I know, I am terrible.)

She also loved seeing the jellyfish. She recognized them right away from the movie "Finding Nemo."
This is Emily's classic "I'm excited" pose. (A giggle with both fingers pointing at whatever it is that is making her so excited.)

A Week Off?

Brian had a week off before school started, so he decided that our yard needed some attention. We have tried a few times now to plant grass in our backyard and it never seems to work. Usually it ends up raining and washes all of the seed away. We decided to give sod a try. The unfortunate thing is that it was 100 degrees outside on the day Brian could do it and I am 9 months pregnant. Basically, what is boils down to is that Emily and I were no help at all.

This was Emily's contribution...
...and you don't see me outside at all. All of Brian's hard work was worth it though. The yard looks really great! Now it is up to me to keep the grass alive! Ha!

Man Shower

Some of our friends had a "Man Shower" for Brian (definition: a shower for the dad expecting his first son). It was a lot of fun and we received some great gifts. I don't think that our friends could have planned it better. They had all of Brian's favorite desserts, fun games, and great company. Thanks guys for a great party. We really appreciate it!
Super cute diaper tower! What a great idea!

All the yummy desserts you could imagine. Brian especially enjoyed the popsicles in the ice bowl! That just happens to be his favorite.

Brian won the cake eating contest!

Baby Projects!

When I found out that Emily was going to have a baby brother, it was time for all of the sewing projects to begin. I love quilting and crocheting around baby blankets. I had a class when I was at Ricks (BYU-Idaho) on children's clothing and we were required to make a blessing dress (This was before I was even married). When I had Emily I used that blessing dress for her. Now I have a tradition to keep up. It was a lot of fun to make a blessing outfit for our little man.

Emily saw me taking pictures of the baby brother's blankets and outfit, so I had to get the blankets and dress out that I made for her and take pictures of them as well.